This project is designed to understand the important connections that occur among different parts of the aquatic ecosystem including those from uplands to the riparian zone, from the riparian zone to surface waters, from streams to lakes, and from lakes to their outlets. Twelve scientists from seven institutions have collaborated for 20 years on this research; this project will continue long-term studies and experiments on the arctic aquatic environment. Some of these long-term experiments will be continued and combined with surveys, detailed process studies, and modeling to answer major questions about the linkages among ecosystems. The products of the research will be incorporated into several models including a hydrology-plant-soil model, a stream nitrogen model, a lake process model, and a fish energetics model. Through these models the present synthetic view of these aquatic ecosystems will be formalized; modeling will also aid in identification of research gaps and prediction of effects of perturbations. This research is especially relevant for the fundamental understanding of all aquatic systems because the systems studied are among the last pristine aquatic systems, they have relatively simple food webs that are amenable to experimentation, and they exist in extreme environments that require special adaptations by the organisms that inhabit them.
